The Virginian Aviation Museum's A-4C was received from the Navy in November 2005. It was repainted by volunteers of VFA-106, NAS Oceana in the markings LTJG Paul Galanti of Richmond, VA who flew with VA-216 aboard the USS Hancock (CVA-19) during the Vietnam War. Galanti was shot down and captured while flying his 97th combat mission on June 17, 1966.

Military Aircraft

SR-71 Blackbird, 1966 Lockheed SR-71Flying three times faster than the speed of sound and higher than 80,000 feet, the SR-71 "Blackbird" is the most technologically significant aircraft built since World War II. Our aircraft, USAF tail number 61-7968, set the endurance record on April 26, 1971. Majors Thomas B. Estes and Dewain C. Vick, flew this aircraft over 15,000 miles in 10 hours 30 minutes non-stop – which includes aerial refueling at subsonic speeds! The aircraft is on loan from the United States Air Force Museum. (Serial #61-7968)

1917 SPAD VII, Prized Fighter
The SPAD VII was one of the best fighter planes of World War I. The Museum’s SPAD VII, B9913, was manufactured in 1917 and was one of 19 British-built SPAD VIIs sent to the US Army’s Rockwell Field Pursuit Gunnery School in San Diego in 1918 to serve as advanced fighter trainers for the US Air Service.

1918 Standard E-1, Advanced Trainer
The Standard E-1 was a U.S. World War I pursuit trainer powered by a 100-horsepower Gnome B-9 or an 80-horsepower Le Rhone rotary engine - both engines drove a fixed-pitch wooden propeller. The Museum’s Standard E-1 was manufactured in 1918 and is powered by an 80-horsepower Le Rhone rotary engine. Air Shannon spent eight years restoring the aircraft to its current condition after Sidney L. Shannon Jr. found this airplane in a barn near Dayton, Ohio, in the early 1950s.

1917 Curtiss Model JN4-D Military Trainer Jenny
The Curtiss JN models - also known as the "Jenny" series – were used by the US Army as observation planes and trainers during World War I. The Museum’s Curtiss Jenny was built in January 1917 in Buffalo, NY. Powered by a 90-horsepower, 8-cylinder, water-cooled engine, this airplane is capable of a maximum horizontal speed of 75 mph.

1970 Vought A-7D Corsair IIThe A-7D Corsair II is a single seat, light attack aircraft. Originally designed for the U.S. Navy, 459 A-7Ds were built for the US Air Force from 1968 to 1976. The A-7D achieved excellent bomb-deliver accuracy due to its automatic electronic navigation and weapon-delivery system. The aircraft weighs 39,325 pounds when fully loaded with a maximum speed of 663 mph! The Museum's A-7D flew with the 192nd Tactical Fighter Group and is on loan from the USAF Museum. (Serial #70-966)

Douglas A-4C SkyhawkThe US Navy used the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for many years as a front-line light attack-bomber. The A-4 prototype, or Heinemann's Hotrod as it was sometimes called, was first flown on June 22, 1954. Early A-4s carried up to 5,000 pounds of missiles, fuel tanks, rockets, and gun pods, on three stations. The A-4 was also used by several foreign nations including Argentina, Australia, and Israel.

Grumman F-14D Tomcat, Navy Air Superiority Fighter
The F-14D Tomcat is a supersonic, air-superiority fighter. The Museum’s F-14D bureau number 164346, Block 170, was delivered to the Navy on February 2, 1992 and saw combat on board the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Tomcat 164346 was last flown on September 15, 2006, when it was delivered to the Virginia Aviation Museum by pilot Lt. Roy Gordon and RIO Lt. Bill Frank.This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida.